93 Cruiser loss of power and engine clacking after over heating (1 Viewer)

[thehumaneraser]

Was driving through hot weather today and accidentally had the cruiser in second on the freeway and didn't notice. Did 5000 rpm for about 15 minutes until the check engine light came on and I noticed the temperature was in the red. Pulled over immediately, waited an hour for it to cool down, and then drove it a bit and everything seemed normal except for a code 52--knock sensor 1.

I put more coolant in the reservoir until the radiator didn't take more. But I'm on a road trip so I drove 5 hours on the freeway after this happened and everything seemed normal. Then I pulled into a gas station and when I turned the car on to leave I had a major loss of power and a distinct clacking noise in the engine, like a ticking that seems to be coming from the cylinders. Power feels back to normal for now but the ticking noise is very prevalent. Oil looks fine on the dipstick.

For what it's worth, temperature is normal and the check engine light is now gone.

I'm far from home right now so what am I dealing with here? Is this drivable? Is it a tow situation? Don't want to do more damage if I can prevent it.

Thanks in advance

 

[BILT4ME]

Was driving through hot weather today and accidentally had the cruiser in second on the freeway and didn't notice. Did 5000 rpm for about 15 minutes until the check engine light came on and I noticed the temperature was in the red. Pulled over immediately, waited an hour for it to cool down, and then drove it a bit and everything seemed normal except for a code 52--knock sensor 1.

I put more coolant in the reservoir until the radiator didn't take more. But I'm on a road trip so I drove 5 hours on the freeway after this happened and everything seemed normal. Then I pulled into a gas station and when I turned the car on to leave I had a major loss of power and a distinct clacking noise in the engine, like a ticking that seems to be coming from the cylinders. Power feels back to normal for now but the ticking noise is very prevalent. Oil looks fine on the dipstick.

For what it's worth, temperature is normal and the check engine light is now gone.

I'm far from home right now so what am I dealing with here? Is this drivable? Is it a tow situation? Don't want to do more damage if I can prevent it.

Thanks in advance

Considering you already drove it 5 hours AFTER you had the issue, then it's probably not an issue.

You were running high RPM for an extended period of time, the oil in the fan clutch couldn't keep up and the cooling fan couldn't do its job.

Knock sensors faulted and could no longer adjust timing accordingly to eliminate pre-detonation (which is also caused by excessive heat).

How's the oil pressure?

The oil still looks good?

The coolant still looks good? No chocolate milk?

You filled the reservoir. What about the radiator? Was it filled all the way to the top?
When was the last time you changed the radiator cap?

LOTS of questions about maintenance, how much you know about systems, and a video with any noises may help.

If you've driven that far after the issue, it would have self destructed already if there was a serious issue.

 

[ppc]

Was driving through hot weather today and accidentally had the cruiser in second on the freeway and didn't notice. Did 5000 rpm for about 15 minutes until the check engine light came on and I noticed the temperature was in the red. Pulled over immediately, waited an hour for it to cool down, and then drove it a bit and everything seemed normal except for a code 52--knock sensor 1.

You need to stop using drugs. Not realizing you're at 5000 RPM for 15 minutes is pure insanity.

 

[Kernal]

Can you describe the noise a bit more: is it ticking like a sewing machine, knocking like a hammer on a solid chunk of metal, or like ball bearings bouncing around inside a tin can, or ???

Is the noise more apparent under load (acceleration), goes away at idle in Park, or ???

Is the noise present on a cold start or just after the engine warms up?

All the other questions in post #2.

 

[thehumaneraser]

Considering you already drove it 5 hours AFTER you had the issue, then it's probably not an issue.

You were running high RPM for an extended period of time, the oil in the fan clutch couldn't keep up and the cooling fan couldn't do its job.

Knock sensors faulted and could no longer adjust timing accordingly to eliminate pre-detonation (which is also caused by excessive heat).

How's the oil pressure?

The oil still looks good?

The coolant still looks good? No chocolate milk?

You filled the reservoir. What about the radiator? Was it filled all the way to the top?
When was the last time you changed the radiator cap?

LOTS of questions about maintenance, how much you know about systems, and a video with any noises may help.

If you've driven that far after the issue, it would have self destructed already if there was a serious issue.

Thanks for the response. I'm still learning so apologize for my ignorance. The engine oil looks fine as far as I tell--normal in color and still looks clean (changed 2k ago). Oil pressure is also fine according to the gage on the dash, it's sitting where it always is. I just checked the radiator and it is full. The coolant looks fine, at least the coolant at the top. I have not changed the radiator cap in the 6 years I've owned it.

Here's a short video of the issue:

 

[thehumaneraser]

Can you describe the noise a bit more: is it ticking like a sewing machine, knocking like a hammer on a solid chunk of metal, or like ball bearings bouncing around inside a tin can, or ???

Is the noise more apparent under load (acceleration), goes away at idle in Park, or ???

Is the noise present on a cold start or just after the engine warms up?

All the other questions in post #2.

The noise sounds more like a sewing machine than a hammer on metal, but it is loud. It has consistent timing and gets faster with RPM. Occurs in park, idle, neutral, doesn't seem to matter. There's also a video of the noise in a previous reply I just uploaded.

And yes I just did a cold start this morning and it's still there.

 

[BILT4ME]

The noise sounds more like a sewing machine than a hammer on metal, but it is loud. It has consistent timing and gets faster with RPM. Occurs in park, idle, neutral, doesn't seem to matter. There's also a video of the noise in a previous reply I just uploaded.

And yes I just did a cold start this morning and it's still there.

Was that noise there prior to the overheating?

If so, then I would lean towards the power steering pump drive gear and someone has been in there before you and marred the teeth on it. Very well documented issue on these.

You can remove all the belts and then restart it to see if the noise goes away. That would isolate the alternator, water pump, AC and idler pulleys. Don't run it for more than two or three minutes.

 

[thehumaneraser]

The noise was not there prior to overheating. It could've coincidentally started about the same time. And it wasn't making the noise right after the overheating when I continued to drive it.

If it's the power steering drive gear, should that effect the steering as well? Steering feels fine at least.

Unfortunately I'm far from home without the tools and space to do much to it right now, and I'm not sure I'd have the know how to start taking apart belts anyways. I guess I'll bring it to the local mechanic.

Thanks for the advice

 

[LongDuck]

 

[baldilocks]

One easy thing to do is stop in somewhere for an oil and filter change. What weight oil do you run? Maybe consider going thicker. My 1fz does well on 15w-40 diesel engine oil like Mobil Delvac, Delo 400, Shell Rotella; basically any diesel oil that has the API “SN” designation for gas engines printed on the jug.

I experienced a leaking filter once during a road trip. I bought 2 gallons of Delo 400 and went to the Twin Falls Idaho Toyota dealer and they did an oil change supplying the filter.

Just out of curiosity, what oil and filter are you currently running? I assume you changed both just prior to this trip?